(Jewish Group) 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' undercuts its own feminist and Jewish identity
“Do what I say and not what I do,” seems to be the catchphrase for the newest season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” The fourth season sees comedy prodigy Miriam “Midge” Maisel rejecting the rules of a man’s world and attempting to have it all — her Upper West Side lifestyle, her job and her family’s approval — as she attempts to make it in standup. But for all the season’s grand messages about feminism and Judaism and changing the world, the bulk of the show still relies on cheap humor and overdone bits, which undercut its own moral stances.
In the opening episode of the season, Miriam rails against men, who, she says, are constantly trying to screw up her life. She’s done listening to them, and says she wants to do comedy her way — that means no opening acts and no compromises about what she can say, meaning she turns down gigs left and right. This is feminism! Or so the show would have us believe.
The show takes the same approach to its Jewishness. In the second episode, Miriam rolls her eyes at another comedian’s lazy use of Judaism as a punchline — apparently something she would never do. This show would never stoop to such levels!
It’s a rather meta point for a pointedly Jewish comedy to make — especially one that does, in fact, tend to lean on Jewish stereotypes for easy punchlines. And its supposed feminism is just as inconsistent, with Midge taking opening gigs even as she waxes poetic about her refusal to do exactly that. It is as though the show’s writers hope that saying something is convincing enough to distract viewers from the fact that, in fact, the opposite is taking place.
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I like Fox, but I think she is missing the mark in some ways. This is comedy and sometimes stereotypes are the joke, and in a certain environment can be funny. It is like the difference between a wildfire and a controlled burn, though the later can easily turn into the former.
I haven't seen the last episodes, so NO SPOILERS!